Strawberry Rhubarb Coffee Cake

Last month was a big travel month for me.  I started with a relaxing vacation in the Caribbean and ended with a visit to a favorite farmers’ market in Madison, Wisconsin.  Traveling ignites inspiration and opens my taste buds to new flavors and ideas in the kitchen.  Thanks to my month of travel, my list of future blog posts has grown.

I took a cooking class in Saint-Martin and learned to make a delicious regional specialty with a spice blend called Colombo.  I stopped in at Surly Brewery in Minneapolis and had a tasty roasted cauliflower with labna, pickled chiles, marcona almonds and olive oil.  I dined at a new restaurant in St. Paul called Heirloom Kitchen and Bar and devoured a fresh pea soup.  I visited a number of farmers markets and relished in the spring produce from a different region of the United States.  I must say, visiting those farmers markets while away from my home and kitchen is pure torture for me knowing that I am limited from purchasing produce and flowers.  Thankfully when I stopped at the Madison Farmers’ Market at the Capitol  I was on my way home and bought some beautiful rhubarb.  As a kid, I can’t say I was a huge fan of rhubarb, but the adult me loves the tartness and mixed with some sweet seasonal strawberries and then baked into a cake, even the former kid me would give rhubarb a forks up!  So after a month on the road and visions of new blog posts in my head, I start with a Strawberry Rhubarb Coffee Cake.  This cake is perfect for breakfast (I wouldn’t tell anyone you are eating cake for breakfast), a mid afternoon break, or dessert after dinner.  Enjoy, summer is around the corner!

Strawberry Rhubarb Coffee Cake

Print Recipe

The recipe is adapted from Smitten Kitchen who adapted it from The New York Times and from completelydelicious.com

Course Sweets and Treats

Author Jane

Ingredients

• For the strawberry rhubarb filling:
• 8 oz. strawberries sliced
• 8 oz. rhubarb sliced into 3/4 inch pieces
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 3/4 teaspoon cardamon
• For the crumb topping:
• 1/3 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter melted
• 1 cup flour
• 3/4 cup pecans roasted and chopped
• For the cake:
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 2 teaspoons Grand Marnier
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Butter a 9 inch springform pan, line the bottom with parchment paper and then dust pan with flour.
• In a medium bowl combine all the fruit filling ingredients and mix. Set aside.
• In another medium bowl combine all the crumb topping ingredients and mix with a fork. Set aside.
• For the cake batter, in a small bowl whisk together the sour cream, egg, egg yolk, and Grand Marnier. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and butter. Mix on medium high until a crumbly dough forms. Add the sour cream mixture in three additions, mixing after each addition.
• Spread cake batter into the springform pan. Top the batter with the fruit filling evenly. Sprinkle the crumb topping over the fruit.
• Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Let cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then remove side and cool completely on a wire rack.
• Cake can be stored covered in fridge for 2 days.